By Darren Incorvaia 

An academic partnership to improve diversity in clinical trials has drafted its first industry team members. Amgen and Merck will help Equitable Breakthroughs in Medicine Development (EQBMED) enroll patients in local clinical trials as part of the partnership’s pilot programme.

“Partnering with industry leaders Amgen and Merck is a critical milestone in EQBMED’s mission to establish a sustainable clinical trial ecosystem,” associate dean for health equity research and C.N.H Long Professor of Internal Medicine, Public Health and Management at Yale University, Marcella Nunez-Smith, M.D.,said in a Sept. 12 release. “These partners understand the significance of tailoring clinical trials to each site’s maturity, unique aspirations and community priorities.”

Under the partnership, Amgen and Merck will co-design strategies to foster closer collaborations and engagements with local trial sites and communities, according to the release.

Amgen plans to enhance infrastructure, trial capabilities and capacities at community-facing sites, the release said; meanwhile, Merck will work with community-facing sites to develop a clinical trial site assessment model and will also incorporate patient navigator and transportation support to help ease travel barriers for trial participants.

EQBMED is led by the Yale School of Medicine, the Morehouse School of Medicine, the Research Centers in Minority Institutions Coordinating Center at the Morehouse School of Medicine and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. It’s funded by a grant from PhRMA. The partnership announced the first four sites for its pilot phase in February.